OAKLAND – The Angels came into Oakland riding a four-game losing streak and mired in a woeful hitting slump.

Their chief adversary, the Texas Rangers, who have already opened up a 5 -game lead in the American League West, just traded for 2008 American League Cy Young Award winner Cliff Lee.

Meanwhile, several players’ names have surfaced in trade rumors, with the Angels actively pursuing a slugging first baseman in advance of the looming July 31 trade deadline.

So why all the smiles in the Angels clubhouse before the start of a three-game series against the Athletics?

It turns out there’s an app for that, too.

Since the iPad’s April release, the tablet device has become ubiquitous in the Angels clubhouse. It’s given Angels players a tool that players can use to play interactive games, surf the web, read books and watch movies. Some use the device to study video.

“Everyone in this clubhouse either has one, or has one on order,” Angels pitcher Scott Kazmir said.

The device has revolutionized the way the Angels battle the seemingly endless downtime of a 162-game season, even amid stretches when they can’t hit a lick with runners in scoring position.

“There’s a lot of down time” in baseball, Kazmir said. “You’ve got to have something to do.”

Gaming apps appear to be pervasive in the Angels clubhouse. Kazmir said that just about every week a player introduces a new game in the clubhouse, and “suddenly everybody has it.” He said interactive poker and baseball games are among the most popular.

“When you don’t have anything to do, you can watch a movie or you can watch yourself pitching,” Angels pitcher Ervin Santana said, noting he also uses the device to study video of his mechanics.

In addition to passing the time, the device has helped build camaraderie, albeit in a 21st-century kind of way.

“It’s a great way to interact with teammates and kill some time,” Kazmir said.

An added benefit is being able to whip the device out when a player senses a pushy reporter approaching.

“Naaahhh,” Santana said, laughing sheepishly.

Without incident

The Angels arrived at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum without incident Friday a day after significant rioting, looting and vandalism in the streets of downtown Oakland in the aftermath of the verdict of former Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) police officer Johannes Mehserle, who was convicted Thursday by a Los Angeles jury of involuntary manslaughter for the shooting death of Oscar Grant.

The Jan. 1, 2009, shooting occurred at the Fruitvale BART station, which is within a few miles of the Coliseum, and inflamed racial tensions. Mehserle is white, and Grant, who was unarmed, was black.

The trial was moved to Los Angeles because of excessive publicity surrounding the case in the Bay Area.

`Not yet’

Maicer Izturis, who’s been on the disabled list with a strained left forearm for more than three weeks, hit off a tee and took some soft-toss batting practice during the Angels’ trip to Chicago, Angels manager Mike Scioscia said.

The oft-injured Izturis’ progress will be monitored during next week’s All-Star break, Scioscia said.